Genentech, Curis Win Approval Of Hedgehog Inhibitor Erivedge

Hedgehog has been a household name in biotech circles for decades – both because the Sonic Hedgehog protein owes its whimsical name to a Sega video game character and because scientists have long pursued ways to target the Hedgehog pathway. Now Roche AG's Genentech unit has succeeded – with a little help from Curis Inc. – winning FDA approval of Erivedge (vismodegib) for advanced basal cell carcinoma.